“Now listen up! I want you to seek out an old man that goes by the name of Rye. He’s living in the old district by the old guardians’ fountain in the southwest. You’ll find an old storefront that’s been whittled by the elements. Just give him my letter and wait for his instructions.” The instructor pulled out a letter and handed it to Abel but not before solemnly reminding him again,

“Remember to be respectful and to do your best. This chance will only come once!”

Abel was stupefied when he heard the first part. He thought the instructor was truly trying to scam him instead of giving him his deserved reward but the notification that popped up before his eyes left him wide-eyed with a gaping mouth.

*Ding*

Seek out Old Man Rye

Instructor Cedric Stormheart thinks very highly of you and wishes to give you an opportunity that many would kill for. Deliver the letter to its intended recipient and await further instruction.

Difficulty level: E

Quest Requirements: Friendly favorability with the instructor, learn more than 1 basic weapons skill.

Quest Reward: ???

Accept?

Yes/No

Abel seemed to be stunned silly for a few seconds. Just as the instructor was about to ask him again, he replied in a voice even louder than the instructor himself.

“YES”

He knew it was a quest. That much was obvious, but the conditions to even trigger it were ridiculous.

How many could learn 2 basic weapons skills? Not a lot. How many people can build up a friendly level of favorability with an instructor? Definitely very few. So then, how many could do both things?

Abel wasn’t sure but he doubted there was another person beyond himself. It wasn’t arrogance, just pure probability.

“Very well then, you should get going… Good luck kid” Cedric nodded and looked hopeful.

Abel bowed deeply before taking his leave from the training grounds. He had planned to go get the ranger profession after finishing up at the training citadel and then go out to hunt but all his plans were thrown out the window the second he saw the little details of the quest.

‘hmmm… it looks to be a chain quest but I wonder what the final reward will be? Perhaps an epic or legendary weapon? No no, how the hell could I get so lucky, there’s no way. Maybe the old man is going to teach me a unique skill of his after passing some test. A lot of people really would kill for such a thing…’

Abel let his thoughts roam about, trying to figure out what the end reward of this quest would be when he suddenly shook his head.

‘I need to pass it first, stay focused Abel. I should take it one step at a time.’

Abel took a deep breath and quickly made his way to the bulletin board. He took a look at the large map and charted out the most efficient way to the location he was told about and then headed there without tarrying further.

‘Although the starting quest has an easy grade of difficulty, it’s still not the lowest so there’s bound to be some trap. Besides, I’m sure the difficulty will increase immensely… I just hope I can finish it with my low level… No, the game wouldn’t be so unscrupulous to give me a quest ending in a forbidden zone when I’m only level 1. Let’s see how the first quest goes, if I fail at the start then there’s no use thinking about the final reward’

Abel thought further about the circumstances regarding this chain quest as he made his way to the ‘old district’ square.

Apparently, this used to be the neighborhood for a legendary guardian in the Kingdom of Veridia a couple hundred years ago. If someone in the game’s lore bore the prefix ‘legendary’ then they had to have reached that realm, so it wasn’t some small matter one could brush aside.

The neighborhood enjoyed much prosperity during that period but nowadays it was an average location within the city known as the old guardians’ district or old district for short.

As Abel walked through the streets, he eventually found the shop he was looking for. It wasn’t hard as it was the only place with a weathered signboard. It was so beaten up and old that Abel couldn’t even make out the wording and so, he didn’t know what the shop sold or offered.

Creeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaak

As the door groaned in opening, Abel was beset by the dust accumulated on all types of random goods. There were basic supplies like candles, torches, ropes as well as maps and scrolls that were covered in a layer of dust that turned to dirt. There was also weapons and armor, thought they looked like they had started to rust and were beyond saving at this point.

*Cough* “Excuse me…. Is anyone here?”

Abel slowly made his way through the hazardously piled junk and looked around. He called out when he didn’t see anyone at the desk.

He waited for more than a minute before the door behind the desk slowly creaked open and out came a man that looked ancient. Abel never imagined he’d see such an old looking man, perhaps it was only possible in the virtual world where he could see such a thing.

The old man appeared as though time had woven its tapestry across every line and contour of his weathered face. Deep wrinkles, like engraved crevices, traced a map of experiences telling the tales of a long and fruitful life. It seemed all that awaited the old man was the peace of death.

The only thing that diminished this feeling was his eyes that hadn’t dimmed with the passage of years, instead they shone with a profound light of wisdom that seemed to hold eons worth of knowledge and understanding. What further reinforced that was, despite the stoop of his shoulders and the slow, deliberate movements of his limbs, there was an undeniable strength about him.

Abel was quite startled at the sight but he concentrated on the task at hand and subconsciously switched to the Xiang family breathing style.

“Ohhh” As though seeing something interesting, the old man scrutinized his visitor intently but stayed silent and waited for him to speak.

“I apologize for bothering you sir. I bear a letter from instructor Cedric Stormheart of the training citadel.”

Abel calmly told him his reason for visiting and handed him the letter with both hands respectfully.

“Little loudmouth sent you?”

The way old man Rye referred to the instructor instantly broke the solemn atmosphere Abel felt build up and he nearly laughed out loud. It took all his willpower to steady his breath but he still felt his cheeks twitching, holding back his laugh.

What Abel didn’t know was that if he had laughed then he would have failed the very first part of the chain quest.

“Yes sir, after passing my basic training with the sword and longbow, instructor Cedric informed me to hand you this letter and await further instruction.”

Abel took a deep breath and replied with a calm voice, explaining in more detail as to the reason he received this mission. He had to admit that nickname suited the instructor but he didn’t dare laugh or do anything to show disrespect, fortunately this mindset helped him through this small hurdle.

The old man opened the letter and gave it a quick glance. It seemed like he didn’t even read it but his following words proved otherwise.

“So you’re the prodigy he sent me… I hope you don’t disappoint the faith little loudmouth put in you child. Alright, wait here for a moment”

After that, old man Rye made his way back through the door at the back and disappeared from sight.

Abel was left standing there not knowing what to do, he didn’t get a notification of the quest having been completed or the next part but that was understandable since he hadn’t received ‘further instruction’ yet.

He stood there and calmly waited… and waited….

He didn’t move a single step and didn’t take a look at the trinkets and objects around him. He ended up waiting for 30 minutes before hearing the door creak once more. He wasn’t sure if that was a small test from the old man or just a normal part of the quest but he didn’t complain nor did he show any displeasure on his face.

“Very well child, take this little trinket and make your way to the stone-toothed rat nest in the outskirts of the Hollow Forest. This map should guide you there. Once you clear out the nest, see whether there’s a reaction or not. If there is, then bring back what you find there. If there isn’t, then come back here and make sure you bring this back with you. If you don’t then little loudmouth will come looking for you.”

The old man spoke slowly but his words resounded clearly within the shop, he then placed a mundane little trinket that looked like an elongated locket alongside an old piece of parchment.

Abel took the 2 ‘Quest Items’, thanked the old man and bowed respectfully before taking his leave.

*Ding*

Quest: Seek out old man Rye complete

EXP +100

*Ding*

Quest Updated

Clear out the Rat’s Nest

Old man Rye is pleased with your respect for instructor Cedric as well as your self-restraint and patience. He has given you 2 objects and a goal, clear out the rat’s nest and see if there’s a reaction with the object.

Quest Difficulty: C-

Quest Requirements: Do not laugh at Cedric’s pet name, show sufficient respect and patience.

Quest Reward: ???

Abel was beyond pleased at the generous EXP from such a small quest but he couldn’t help but stand there stunned at the requirements to pass the earlier quest. If he couldn’t hold himself back and laughed then he would have failed!

Thankfully, he had taken the instructors words to heart and didn’t dare show any disrespect. The instructor had repeated it twice after all, it was enough of a hint to not show any impertinence of any kind.

‘I need to be careful and make necessary arrangements before heading off to this so-called nest. Difficulty of C- should be difficult but manageable. But I definitely need to buy some supplies.’

Abel grit his teeth and decided to go all out for this quest, he’d spend as much as he needed to in order to succeed.

Whatever lay at the end of this chain quest would surely payback his investment several times over. With new found resolve, Abel made his way out of the old district and headed to the merchants’ square to stock up on supplies.